


Game On

by alistoney



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: College AU, Competitive Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, basically give Alec friends 2k18, beer pong, but not really, college party, lots of friendship - Freeform, sort of enemies to lovers, tipsy Alec, tipsy Magnus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-07 05:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14664558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alistoney/pseuds/alistoney
Summary: “You should know,” Magnus leans in towards Alec as if he’s telling a secret, “I’ve never lost.”Alec uses the extra inches of height afforded to him to look down into Magnus’ face, studying it as if he hasn’t already memorised every line. The newly found courage coursing within him lets him breath one word into the space between them..“Yet.”Alec decides then and there that he is going to beat Magnus Bane, reigning champion of 2 years, at his own favorite gameOr the one where Freshman Alec Lightwood and Junior Magnus Bane get a little too competitive in their Spring Semester’s annual game of Assassins





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story is based off of the way that my college plays Assassins so there might be other versions of the game that other colleges or groups play but we’re gonna stick with this version for this fic. 
> 
> Secondly, I want to thank my lovely beta [Accal1a](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Accal1a/pseuds/Accal1a) for being the most amazing even if she’s a pain in the ass sometimes. Exhibit A: when I asked for help naming the fic and got 'That fic about that assassin game those boys played that time'?, 'Competitive boyfriends being competitive'?, and ‘#TheBestBetaEVAR’

Alec returns to his dorm from his morning class only to be blocked by a large crowd of people.

He sighs and tries to push through the crowd. It seems they’re watching someone put up some sort of poster on the bulletin board in their lobby. Alec rolls his eyes. He’s running on 3 hours of sleep and he is _not_ in the mood for people being overly enthusiastic about whatever stupid club is hosting an event. He just wants to _sleep_ and these people are _in his way_.

He’s surprised when he recognizes Lydia’s familiar blonde hair in the crowd and makes his way towards it.

She sees him coming before he gets to her and grins wide. How is she so happy? She was definitely up just as late as him studying, she shouldn’t be capable of happiness right now. Alec kind of hates her for it.

“What’s going on?” He asks when he makes it through the crowd and is standing by her side.

Lydia turns to him incredulously before turning back to the bulletin board.

“Right, I keep forgetting you’re a freshman.” She turns back towards him and grins, eyes alight with excitement, “that,” she nods to the poster being put up, “is the official information for how to sign up for the annual game of Assassins. We play every Spring Semester, and it gets _intense_.”

Alec raises his eyebrows, looking between the poster and Lydia.

“Assassins?”

“It’s a game where everyone is assigned a target and they have a week to kill them via squirting them with water guns. If you don’t ‘kill’ your person in a week or if your assassin kills you, you’re out. There’s also ridiculous immunities that help you stay safe from your assassin if you’re willing to endure the weird looks. Last person standing is the winner.”

Alec feels himself grinning despite himself. This actually sounds fun. He can feel his competitive spirit rising already.

“Your little _crush_ is actually the 3-time reigning champion.”

Alec blushes at the mention of Magnus. He’s been infatuated with the Junior who lives in the dorm across the quad ever since he’d met him during the first week of classes. He’d helped Alec find his Politics class, winked at him, and left him standing in awe in front of his classroom.

“He’s not my crush, shut up.” Alec lies with a glare and Lydia laughs.

“Sure, whatever you say.”

Alec resents the knowing look she gives him. Why are they friends again?

“Either way, Magnus has won every year since he started here. A fact that everyone here in Idris House is very annoyed about. _We_ used to have the champion every year until he came around. Thus started the huge Downworld and Idris House rivalry during Assassins. It gets brutal.”

With that, Lydia takes out her phone to take a picture of the poster which is now up, and then pulls Alec towards the stairs.

Alec might just be excited about a stupid social event for once.

***

  
“Did you see the poster?” Alec asks when Jace walks into their shared dorm room and collapses onto his bed.

“Poster?”

Alec turns in his desk chair and nods as nonchalantly as possible.

He wants to play Assassins, it sounds fun and Alec is competitive, and well, Magnus is going to be playing and Alec may want to spend more time with him.

He doesn’t want to have to admit that Magnus is part of the reason he’s so keen on playing though.

“Yeah, for Assassins.”

Jace sends Alec a confused look before he sits up in his bed.

Alec hopes he doesn’t catch on.

“I’m thinking about doing it.” Alec says quickly before Jace can say anything.

“I thought you didn’t care about social activities.” Jace says, voice sounding even more confused.

“I don’t usually. But this seems fun. Lydia told me Magnus is the-“

“ _Oh_ , so this is about Magnus.”

Shit, he shouldn’t have mentioned Magnus. But of course that’s where his mind went as usual. When did he become so pathetic?

Alec splutters, trying and failing to deny the claim.

“You just want to play this game because Magnus is playing.”

Alec wants to argue but Jace is kind of right.

“That’s not the _only_ reason.”

Jace rolls his eyes and pushes off the bed, ruffling Alec’s hair and grinning with bright eyes.

“Oh yeah, sure, _of course_ ,” he says with exaggerated seriousness.

Alec hates his best friend.

***

  
The next day, Alec is standing in front of one of the posters for Assassins. He has his phone out and open to the sign up page when Magnus Bane shows up.

“Alexander.”

Alec doesn’t even have to turn around to know it’s him. Magnus is the only person who ever calls him Alexander and gets away with it.

He turns slightly and has to fight against the blush that wants to make its way onto his cheeks.

Magnus is wearing a red jacket with spiraling patterns up the sides. His eyes are outlined by kohl and he’s smiling at Alec in a way that makes the breath leave his lungs.

“Hi.” He says a little more breathlessly than he had intended.

He and Magnus have talked a handful of times, but never for more than a few minutes. Magnus usually says something suggestive and Alec usually stutters over his words and blushes an inordinate amount and it’s always a mess.

He doesn’t expect this time to be any better.

“Are you, by any chance, signing up for my favorite game?”

Magnus eyes are sparkling and Alec nods dumbly, holding up his phone with the sign up site pulled up on it.

Magnus’ face splits into a wide grin and Alec can’t help but smile back at him.

“You should know,” Magnus leans in towards Alec as if he’s telling a secret, “I’ve never lost.”

For some reason that he can’t explain Alec gains a burst of courage at the challenging look in Magnus’ eyes and he steps closer to him with a smirk.

Alec uses the extra inches of height afforded to him to look down into Magnus’ face, studying it as if he hasn’t already memorised every line. The newly found courage coursing within him lets him breath one word into the space between them..

“Yet.”

Magnus’ eyes widen and it’s the first time Alec has ever seen him look genuinely surprised. The usually suave Magnus Bane is speechless. _Because of him_.

Alec decides then and there that he is going to beat Magnus Bane, reigning champion of 2 years, at his own favorite game.

That thought makes him smirk harder. This was going to be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There ya go! That’s the prologue! I’ll probably get chapter 1 up in 1-2 days! 
> 
> Comments and Kudos are appreciated <3 
> 
> And as always hit me up on tumblr is you want to scream about the fic (or shadowhunters in general) [@lightwormsiblings](https://lightwormsiblings.tumblr.com)


	2. Week 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know how well I really explained the game in the fic so if you have any questions just ask and I’ll try and clear it up lol. Other than that, I hope you enjoy!!

_Magnus Bane your target is: Rufus. The game will officially start at midnight. You will be safe from any assassination attempt by wearing a mustard yellow shirt._

Magnus wakes up with the memory of Alec Lightwood challenging him fresh in his mind and when he checks his phone he finds his favorite kind of email sitting in his inbox. He’s in a sufficiently good mood as he makes his way to everyone’s rooms to round up his friends for a strategy meeting.

“Cat!” Magnus sings out as he walks into his best friend’s room unannounced and falls onto her bed unceremoniously.

Cat rolls her eyes at him and he sends her a grin.

“Why are you in such a good mood?”

“Other than the fact that it’s the first day of my favorite game?”

Cat rolls her eyes and Magnus sighs, getting more comfortable in her mound of pillows. He hates that she knows him so well. He’s been caught, so he decides he might as well tell her. She’d know if he continued lying anyway.

“That pretty freshman, you know him? Alec Lightwood? He signed up for Assassins.”

Cat chuckles slightly as she turns in her desk chair to look at Magnus.

“And that’s got you in a good mood why?”

Magnus pauses for a second, wondering what his game plan is, after a moment he answers Cat.

“I can kick his ass in the game and win him over with my competence?”

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” Cat sends him a mischievous grin and Magnus begrudgingly smiles back.

He’s going to win over Alec Lightwood no matter what Cat says.

***

Once Raphael, Ragnor, and Cat are all rounded up, they pile onto the couches in the lounge to strategize.

Or well, that’s what Magnus had planned they were going to do. His friends have other ideas.

“Can we order Chinese? We get a student discount from the place down the street.” Raphael asks from across the room.

“I want pizza” Ragnor argues from where he’s leaned against the couch Magnus is sitting on. Magnus kicks his shoulder in annoyance.

“We aren’t here to talk about food. We need to strategize. The game starts in less than 24 hours and Downworld House is _not_ going to lose.”

Raphael rolls his eyes and Magnus narrows his eyes at him.

“We haven’t lost since you got here you don’t have to worry.”

Magnus widens his eyes in disbelief.

“Not worrying is how you _lose_ the game Raphael.”

When he doesn’t get a reply Magnus starts to launch into his game plan.

“There’s going to be a party tonight and it’s the perfect place to take out people quickly. They’ll be drunk and they probably won’t be wearing the immunity-“

His plan is interrupted when Maia and Simon walk by the lounge and poke their heads in to say hello.

Raphael had somehow ended up as lab partners with Simon last semester and Maia was a sophomore Magnus had met in the halls. The two of them had become pretty friendly with Magnus’ little group of friends. Which is why he doesn’t immediately tell them to leave.

“What are you guys doing?” Simon asks, his eyes flicking around the room at everyone gathered on the couches and the way that Magnus is standing in the center.

“Strategizing.”

Simon’s eyes seem to light up and Maia grins next to him.

“For Assassins?” she asks, eyes shining.

Magnus looks between the two of them. They both obviously have excitement for the game. Unlike _some_ of his friends who wanted to order food instead of strategize. He glares at Raphael.

He feels an idea start to form in his mind and flips it over a for a few moment before grinning and turning to the two freshman.

“How would you like to join our team?”

“I thought this was an individual thing?” Maia asks.

“Of course it is my darling, but it’s always better to have an alliance going in. Idris and Downworld houses take this very seriously and you do _not_ want to get stuck on your own.”

Simon and Maia exchange a look before Simon is looking excitedly back at Magnus.

“This is so cool, it’s like a video game but in real life.”

Maia just grins and nods

“We’re in”

***  
 _Alec Lightwood your target is: Victor Aldertree. The game will officially start at midnight. You will be safe from any assassination attempt by wearing a mustard yellow shirt._

The email is the first thing Alec sees in the morning and it takes him an embarrassingly long amount of time to calm the excited leap his heart makes in his chest.

He reads the email twice before something horrible dawns on him and he’s out of his bed and out the door in seconds.

When he makes it upstairs to Lydia’s room and crashes through the door he’s completely out of breath.

“Alec what the hell are you doing?” Lydia gets out on a laugh. Alec is too busy catching his breath to be too offended by Lydia’s obviously enjoyment of his pain and honestly he doesn’t really care because he has a bigger problem right now.

“We don’t have water guns!”

Lydia laughs again and Alec narrows his eyes at her in a glare.

“Someone’s already highly invested in this game,” she says with a knowing glint in her eye and Alec just _knows_ she’s going to bring up Magnus so he starts talking before she can.

“Lydia stop messing around we need water guns, come on.”

“Maybe get dressed first Alec.”

That’s when Alec realizes that he’s still in his pajamas _and_ he hadn’t put any shoes on before sprinting out of his room.

He groans as he looks down at himself and glares at Lydia who is laughing hysterically on her bed.

“Your face,” she gets out between laughs.

Alec glares harder. _He has the worst friends._

“This never happened,” he barks out, pointing threateningly at Lydia before sprinting back downstairs.

***  
When Alec and Lydia return from their water gun shopping trip, Alec finds his little sister in his room.

“You’re home,” she says with a bright grin when Alec steps into the room, and before he can set his bag down he’s being pulling into a long hug.

He smiles as he buries his face into Izzy’s hair and breathes her in as she tucks her face into his neck. He’s missed her.

He always misses her really, even if she _is_ only a 20 minute train ride away. It’s nice that she’s a senior who has already gotten into college so she has the luxury of skipping class to come and see him. He doesn’t know how he’d survive otherwise.

“Hey Iz,” he says, grinning as she pulls away.

“Where were you?”

Alec holds up his bag in answer and Izzy pulls out the water gun, giving him a questioning look.

Alec laughs at her familiar raised eyebrows and explains Assassins to her. He tries his best to leave Magnus out of the explanation. He already has Lydia and Jace on his back about the whole crush thing. He doesn’t need another person sending him knowing looks all the time.

Izzy is grinning excitedly by the end and insisting that she be his right hand man. Alec agrees pretty easily. How can he say no to spending more time with his sister? Plus she’s pretty good at the whole people thing. Alec is decidedly not, and having her around would probably be a good idea.

“There’s a party tonight you know. Your target will probably be there.”

Alec groans and plops onto his bed. “I don’t want to go to a party,” he grabs one of his pillows and looks up at Izzy, “how do even know there’s a party? You don’t even go here.”

Izzy just winks before turning to his closet and declaring that she needs to find him a mustard yellow shirt that he could actually look good in.

It’s a lost cause. First of all, Alec doesn’t own anything yellow. And second of all it’s not _possible_ to look good in yellow.

After a few moments of shuffling, Izzy sticks her head back out of the closet.

“Magnus will be at the party too,” she says conversationally.

Alec sees straight through the nonchalant way she says it. He had thought he had gotten out of talking about Magnus when he’d managed not to mention him in his Assassins explanation, but apparently not.

“I hate you,” he grumbles but gets up to help Izzy find him something to wear, because he’s weak when it comes to Magnus.

***   
They manage to find Alec a mustard yellow shirt in Jace’s clothes.

Alec really doesn’t want to wear it but he also doesn’t want to get out on the first day of Assassins. Especially after he basically told Magnus he was going to beat him. Getting out on the first day would be embarrassing.

Being seen by Magnus in this god awful shirt is _also_ going to embarrassing but there’s nothing he can do about that.

He pats his waistband where he’s got his water gun loaded and ready in case he sees Aldertree, before he steps into the house where the party is being held and promptly loses both Izzy and Jace.

_Great._

He stands awkwardly in the doorway for a second before he realizes he’s blocking other people from coming in and moves towards the kitchen to get a drink.

He startles when he feels a tap on his shoulder and turns around to find Magnus Bane staring back at him with glittering eyes.

“Alexander.”

Alec feels his entire face heat up at the word and curses himself for being so affected. It’s one word. Why is he like this?

Magnus is wearing a sheer black shirt that leaves nothing to the imagination and dark jeans that cling to his legs in a way that is frankly offensive. Alec has to try very hard not to swoon, or say something extremely embarrassing like _you’re extremely hot_ or _I would very much like for you to make out with me right now._

“You’re not wearing mustard yellow,” is what ends up coming out of his mouth.

Magnus’ smile turns delighted at that and he takes a step closer to Alec.

“Mustard yellow is an absolutely abysmal color. I won’t be subjecting myself to that until midnight,” he stops for a second to look Alec up and down, “though, I must say, you look rather good in it.”

Alec stares wide eyed at him for a second, trying to comprehend what’s just happened.

_Did Magnus Bane just say he looked good in yellow?_

He doesn’t get time to reply because Magnus has grabbed his wrist and is pulling him out into the backyard.

“Will you be my pong partner?” He asks once they’ve made it outside and well, it’s not like Alec can say no to that.

***  
“It’s all about the aim Magnus.”

Alec turns to look at Magnus through his eyelashes as he lands the ping pong ball into yet another cup and Ragnor and Cat grumble on the other side of the table.

Magnus is having a lot of trouble staying focused on the game at hand when Alec is smirking like _that_.

He blames the alcohol.

“Pretty and good at pong, will wonders never cease?” he asks with a teasing smile, congratulating himself as Alec’s eyes shine and he moves a step closer to Magnus.

He can see Ragnor and Cat giving him exaggerated disgusted looks from across the table, but he’s only really focusing on the way Alec’s hand grabs his wrist and opens his palm with the other to place the ping pong ball in it. The warmth of his hand on Magnus’ wrist sends a shiver down his spine.

Alec smiles bright and easy as he nods to the table indicating that it’s Magnus’ turn.

Magnus lands another cup and Alec turns to Magnus excitedly, slapping his hand in congratulations while Cat begrudgingly downs the drink.

Magnus sticks his tongue out at her and throws an arm over Alec’s shoulder.

Alec stills next to him and Magnus’ intoxicated brain unmuddles itself enough to realize Alec might not want to be touched without being asked. He turns to apologize when he sees that he isn’t the reason Alec had frozen.

Alec has his eyes narrowed, looking at Victor Aldertree who is on the stairs to the patio. He looks between the two of them in confusion. He wasn’t aware that the two of them didn’t like each other.

“Alec?”

“I’ll be right back,” he says, eyes not leaving Aldertree.

Magnus watches as Alec steps away from the beer pong table and pulls his shirt up slightly. He tries not to let his eyes linger on the sliver of pale skin he sees but fails miserably. He’s drunk, Alec is beautiful, sue him.

His eyes widen when he sees the reason Alec had lifted the shirt up. There’s a water gun sitting in his waistband.

Before Magnus can even formulate another thought Alec yanks the gun out of his waistband, points it at Aldertree, and shoots him square in the chest.

Aldertree splutters in surprise and Magnus can’t help a grin from making its way onto his face. He loves this game.

Alec spins the gun in his hand in a way that is much hotter than it has any right to be, before spinning on his heel and walking back towards Magnus with determination.

Magnus stares wide eyed at the smirk on Alec’s face and watches as he brings his wrist up and flicks his eyes down at his watch.

Magnus pulls out his phone and clicks it open. The time reads 12:01 am.

He feels his eyes go wider.

Alec just got the first kill of the game.

_One minute after the game started_.

Magnus turns to Cat and Ragnor who are staring at Alec in a similar state of shock.

“Cat?” he asks, not taking his eyes off Alec who is still smirking at him.

“Yes?” she asks, turning to look at Magnus.

“I think I’m in love.”

Cat laughs and the sound pulls him out of his daze.

_Two can play this game._

He locks eyes with Alec and unbuttons his shirt, pulling it off his shoulders with a smirk to rival Alec’s.

He watches in delight as Alec’s steps falter and the smirk falls from his face.

He pulls his yellow shirt over his head and grins knowingly back at Alec, whose cheeks have turned a dark shade of pink.

_One point to Magnus._

To his credit though, Alec seems to compose himself quickly and by the time he’s standing in front of Magnus again, the smirk is back in place, even if his cheeks _are_ still a bit rosy.

They stare at each other for a long moment, neither of them saying anything. Magnus studies the hazel of Alec’s eyes and finds mischief shining brightly in them.

He lets himself smile slowly before speaking.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you were going to try and beat me.”

Alec’s smirk grows wider, and he looks Magnus up and down. Magnus absolutely does not preen under the gaze.

“Scared, Bane?”

Magnus rolls his eyes exaggeratedly. Alec’s proved himself to be good so far. But he’s not going to beat him. Not if he can help it.

“Bring it on, Lightwood.”

Alec nods once and looks down at him through his eyelashes. Magnus’ heart almost stops.

“Okay,” Alec says, voice rough and smile devilish.

“Okay,” Magnus repeats, his own smile becoming wider than he thought was possible.

“Okay, let’s play.”

***  
Magnus wakes up the next morning to a pounding headache and a lot of yelling.

When he gets enough willpower to pull himself out of bed and into the hall he’s met with the sight of Raphael and Ragnor facing each other in the hall.

Raphael is staring Ragnor down with murder in his eyes. His shirt has a wet spot on the front and Magnus can guess what happened without having to ask.

He’s much too hungover for this.

“He _killed_ me!” Raphael yells when he sees Magnus in the hall.

“I wasn’t going to just let myself time out in the first round.”

Raphael whirls back on Ragnor who puts his hands up in surrender. Magnus would try and intervene but he’s too hungover and he knows they’re just being dramatic assholes because they’re idiots like that.

“Betrayal!” Raphael hisses and then he’s lunging at Ragnor and they somehow end up on the ground.

Magnus watches them impassively from the doorway of his room as their fight dissolved into laughs and they end up sprawled next to each other on the floor.

“Revenge will be coming your way,” Raphael says sagely before sitting up and grinning at Magnus before he walks away.

Magnus shakes his head at his retreating form. He has the weirdest friends.

***  
“This is getting creepy.”

Magnus glares and puts a finger to his lips to silence Simon.

Magnus had decided to take Simon with him on his little quest to find Rufus so that he could show his new team member the ropes, but he’s regretting that choice now.

Simon doesn’t know when to stop talking and he has come close to giving away their hiding spot multiple times. And while they _are_ only hiding in a bush where they’d probably be found pretty quickly either way, Magnus would appreciate it if he’d stop talking.

“This is a serious stakeout, how dare you call it creepy,” Magnus says with an affronted snort. He can’t believe his methods are being questioned.

“You’ve been stalking him all day, what else can I call it?”

Magnus has a scathing retort on the tip of his tongue but cuts himself off when he sees Rufus walking down the street.

To Magnus’ delight Alec is walking a few paces behind him.

_Perfect_.

Magnus _may_ want to show off his skills after Alec had surprised him last night. He can’t have Alec thinking he actually has a chance of beating him or something.

Magnus gauges the distance between his hiding spot and Rufus and does a complicated jump move that is far from necessary to move out from behind the bush once Rufus is in shooting range.

He doesn’t give him any time to run before he shoots and grins at the surprised look on his face.

He immediately turns his attention to Alec once he’s done so, to find that he has stopped a few feet behind Rufus and is watching amusedly.

Magnus winks at him, warmth running through his body as he sees Alec’s cheeks turn a soft pink. He doesn’t know how someone can look that cute with a blush on their cheeks but somehow Alec manages it.

“Like what you see?” he calls out.

Alec smiles a sort of smile. A small upturn of his lips that Magnus would have missed completely had be not already been staring at his lips intently.

“I can see why you’ve won two years in a row,” Alec answers, taking a few steps forward so that he’s standing in front of Magnus.

“Flattery will get you everywhere my darling.”

Alec’s eyes are alight and Magnus can’t help but think he’s looks absolutely beautiful like this.

“I don’t think you’ve quite outdone me yet though.”

_What?_

When Magnus snaps his eyes up to look at Alec in surprise he realizes that Alec knew the words would provoke him.

The realization of that fact settles into another startling realization that sends a shock through his body.

Alec _wants_ to provoke him.

He smiles an evil smile.

“Oh Alexander, you haven’t seen _anything_ yet.”

***  
Alec is walking to class with Raj, reluctantly wearing a paper sailor hat which is the immunity for the day.

He feels extremely stupid, especially since Raj is refusing to wear the immunity, but he’d much rather be safe than sorry.

“You should really be wearing the immunity,” he tells Raj.

He might only be saying it so that he doesn’t have to look ridiculous by himself but Raj doesn’t have to know that.

“I’m not making myself look like an idiot. No way,” Raj shakes his head vehemently, “besides, it’s Friday. I’ve made it to the last day of the week without being killed I think I’ll be fine.”

No sooner have the words left his lips is he being sprayed in the face with a water gun.

Alec leaps back so he doesn’t get hit with any of the water and laughs when Raj splutters and turns to him with an incredulous look.

Alec just raises his hands and shrugs.

“Told you, you should’ve worn the immunity,” he says with fake apologeticness.

Raj glares and Alec’s antics seem to catch the eyes of the girl who had killed Raj.

She turns to him and Alec is surprised when her face lights up in a grin.

“You’re Alec.”

Alec furrows his eyebrows and turns to look the girl over. She’s an average height with dark curls and deep brown eyes. She’s wearing some sort of gaming shirt and has an air of confidence that Alec wishes he had. She doesn’t look familiar though. How does she know him?

“Do I know you?” He asks, because he genuinely doesn’t think he does, and he can’t think of any other way she’d know his name.

“I’m Maia,” she holds her hand out to shake and Alec takes it hesitantly. Is the name supposed to sound familiar?

“I’m sorry I don’t think I-“

Maia cuts him off with a wave of her hand.

“You don't know me. I know you though. You’re the famous Alec you got the first kill of the game.”

Alec stares at her in shock. He hadn’t known he was famous. He had honestly just done that in the heat of the moment because Magnus’ eyes had been on him and he had wanted to show off.

“You’re impressive,” Maia goes on as if she hadn’t just turning Alec’s mind inside out by calling him _famous_.

“Um thanks?”

Maia smiles, a knowing glint in her eyes as she looks Alec up and down as if deciding his worth.

“Magnus may finally have met his match.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it! I hope this fic spread some happiness after the pain from the mid season finale haha 
> 
> As always Kudos and Comments are appreciated and you can find me on tumblr at [@lightwormsiblings](https://lightwormsiblings.tumblr.com)


	3. Week 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love this chapter so I hope you guys like it too! Again, if you have any questions about the game, don’t hesitate to ask :)

Alec wakes up on the morning of the second week of Assassins and immediately checks his email for his next target.

He’s gotten entirely invested in this game. While he had mostly joined to spend more time with Magnus he’s now genuinely excited about tracking down his next target.

He skims the email which talks about all the noteworthy kills from the last week and grins when his 12:01 kill is at the top of the list.

_Alec Lightwood your target is: Underhill. You will be safe from any assassination attempt by wearing an entirely purple outfit. If you are wearing anything that is not purple on your body you are fair game for assassination._

Alec’s heart sinks in his chest. _Purple?_ Seriously.

He immediately thumbs to his contacts and calls Izzy.

“Alec! What’s up?”

Alec can’t help but grin at the familiar lilt of her voice as it rings out clear across the line.

“Iz, I need your help ASAP.”

Because Izzy is Izzy, she’s at his dorm in a half hour and throwing a purple button down and purple laces onto his bed unceremoniously.

Jace, who is sleeping in his bed on the other side of the room stirs at the sound of Izzy barging in. He cracks an eye open and furrows his eyebrows when he sees Izzy standing in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips.

“What’re you doing here so early?”

“Helping Alec get purple clothes for the immunity today. I can help you too if you get up.”

Jace groans and turns towards the wall, pulling the covers over his head and Alec chuckles. Jace has never been a morning person.

“I value sleep a hundred times more than this game,” Jace mutters at the wall and Izzy chuckles before turning back to Alec and the pile of clothes she’d deposited on his bed.

“His loss.”

Alec picks up the button down and looks at it consideringly, wondering where Izzy got it. He knows for a fact neither he nor Jace have any purple clothing laying around. And Max’s clothes would be too small to fit him.

“It’s Meliorn’s.” Izzy explains.

Alec looks at her incredulously. “You’re giving me your _exes_ shirt?”

Izzy shrugs, “Hey, he’s the one who never asked for it back after we broke up.”

Before Alec can argue Izzy is pulling him out the door.

“We still need to go get you shoes and pants.”

***  
They end up buying dark purple dress pants that Alec actually likes and a pair of purple converse that they spend the morning painting the white parts of with purple paint.

It’s the most fun Alec’s had in a while.

When Lydia walks into Alec’s bedroom later that day she freezes in the doorway for a second.

“Alec Lightwood wearing _purple?_ ” She asks incredulously and Alec laughs.

“You should know by now that I’m all in for this game.”

Lydia shakes her head at him as if she’s in disbelief and comes to sit beside him on the bed.

“Speaking of Assassins, who’s your target this week?”

The way she asks sounds slightly suspicious, like she’s planning something.

“Underhill.”

Lydia smiles and picks at a loose thread in Alec’s bedspread.

“I know him, he lives on the first floor, you can probably get him by waiting in the lobby.”

She still seems slightly distracted, looking at Alec as if she wants something from him.

He narrows his eyes at her, trying to figure out where she wants this conversation to go.

When Lydia looks up again she looks slightly annoyed. “Aren’t you going to ask who I have?”

“Who do you have?” Alec asks hesitantly. He doesn’t know if he wants to know the answer.

“Maia!” Lydia grins, “And I have a plan, but I need your help.”

_There it is._

“Why do you need my help?”

“You know her and I need someone to distract her so she doesn’t notice me.”

Alec is shaking his head before Lydia has even finished talking. “I’ve only talked to her once Lydia!”

“So what? She likes you Alec, she waves whenever she sees you. Just talk to her for a bit so she doesn’t spot me.”

“I hate being the distraction,” Alec groans under his breath but relents. Lydia is his friend and he might need her help in the future. He’s got to be strategic.

***  
Alec is sitting awkwardly at a picnic table outside the biology building waiting for Maia to finish class and regretting his life choices.

Somehow Lydia had been able to figure out that Maia’s class ended at 2pm. Alec doesn’t know how, and he’s not going to ask. He might be friends with a professional stalker.

His entire body involuntarily stiffens when he sees Maia walk out the door and he has to take a deep breath before smiling and waving at her.

“Maia!”

She turns at his voice and grins when she sees him.

“Hey Alec.” Alec lets out a relieved breath when he finds that she isn’t wearing purple. He honestly doesn’t know what he would have done if she’d been wearing the immunity.

Alec falls into step next to Maia as they walk down the path to the sidewalk.

“Did you just finish class?” He asks, hoping he doesn’t sound suspicious.

“Yup, last class of the day.”

Alec jumps at the opportunity.

“If you’re free, would you want to go get some food or something?”

Maia narrows her eyes at him and stops walking.

“That sounds suspicious,” she says, taking a step back from Alec. Alec has to try extremely hard not to look like he’s been caught.

“Am I your target?” She asks, taking another step away from him and Alec has to swallow before answering. He’s terrible at lying.

“No,” well- that’s not a _lie_ technically, “you’re not wearing the immunity, I would have killed you by now if you were my target.” He adds a small chuckle at the end of his explanation for effect and holds his breath afterwards, hoping she buys it.

She still looks slightly suspicious but she relents and moves back to his side.

“I guess that’s true.”

They start walking again, this time in silence.

After a moment Maia grins mischievously before tugging on the arm of his purple button down.

“You went all out, I wouldn’t have taken you for someone who would have all this purple lying around.”

“Oh I don’t,” he reassures with a slight chuckle, remembering the way Izzy had marched through the aisles of Target on a mission just that morning, “went shopping with my sister.”

“I had an 8am lab this morning so I didn’t have time to find purple,” Maia sighs, “I hope it doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass.”

Alec has to hide a smirk by looking away.

Their conversation drifts to their classes and then to their favorite books and Alec is affronted when he finds out Maia hasn’t read anything by Wilde.

He almost forgets what he’s supposed to be doing until he sees Lydia dart behind a trashcan a little further down the sidewalk.

Alec has to sidestep awkwardly in order to move to the other side of the sidewalk so that Maia is closer to Lydia. He holds his breath as Maia gives him a weird look, but she doesn’t question it.

When they walk past the trashcan Lydia jumps in front of them so fast that Alec almost jumps in surprise even though he knew she was going to be there.

Maia only has time to let out a yelp and try and hide behind Alec before she’s being soaked by Lydia’s water gun.

Lydia tips an imaginary hat and winks at Alec.

“Thanks Alec.”

At that Maia turns to Alec, hair hanging limply above her shoulders and stares incredulously.

“You little traitor!” She yells, pushing at Alec’s chest. Alec just laughs at the look on her face and shrugs.

“Trust no one Maia.”

She glares at him but he knows there’s not any real heat behind it from the way she rolls her eyes a second later.

“Ruthless. No wonder he likes you.” She mutters under her breath and Alec arches an eyebrow.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Maia waves him off and Alec turns to look towards the sandwich shop that they’d been walking to before Lydia had attacked.

“I actually do want to get lunch with you,” He tells Maia, because he likes her and they were starting to be friends and he doesn’t want her to think he was only pretending for the game.

Maia sends him an evil smirk and he can’t help but grin himself.

“Only if _you’re_ buying. You owe me Lightwood.”

***  
Magnus is returning to his dorm after his last class of the day and is surprised to see Cat sitting at one of the picnic tables on quad in front of their dorm.

He smiles and slides into the bench in front of her.

“Hey.”

Cat doesn’t move her eyes from where they’re trained on the doors of the dorm but she acknowledges his presence with a nod.

That’s when Magnus notices that there’s a water gun hidden in her bag. And then he realizes that for the first time Cat hasn’t told him her target right away.

He narrows his eyes at her in suspicion.

“Who do you have for Assassins this week?”

Cat still doesn’t look away from the door.

“I’m enacting revenge,” she says and seems to slump in defeat before turning her attention to Magnus, “or well, avenge if you want to get technical about it.”

Magnus raises an eyebrow as a cue for her to continue.

“I have Ragnor.”

Magnus feels his eyes light up at the thought of watching Ragnor squirted in the face. He _might_ be a terrible friend.

“How can I help?” He asks, not even trying to hide his excitement.

Cat looks surprised at his reaction.

“What? I thought you’d be angry about this. What about the whole _team_ thing?”

Magnus waves a hand with a laugh.  
  
“The team thing fell apart as soon as Ragnor killed Raphael. And though, I _did_ think the team would last longer before we had to resort to turning on each other, it’s the game. It’s inevitable,” he sends Cat a mischievous smile, “ _and_ I might want to see his face when you take him out.”

A grin spreads over Cat’s face at that and a spike of adrenaline jolts through Magnus body.

He loves this game.

“I’ve been waiting for him to come out for his 1pm class but it seems like he’s skipping,” Cat informs him, sighing and leaning forward on the bench, “I’ve been here for an hour.”

Magnus feels an idea start to bloom in his mind and he straightens up.

“Leave it to me,” he says before getting up and making his way to their dorm.

“What are you going to do?”

Magnus turns mid stride and sends Cat a wink.

“Just be ready.”

He sees Cat shaking her in head in the familiar fond exasperation that she always has when Magnus comes up with a crazy plan.

Magnus knocks on Ragnor’s door, and grins when his friend opens the door looking like he’s just been woken up from a nap.

“Skipping class to nap? Tsk tsk,” Magnus chides teasingly and grins when Ragnor sends him a glare.

“What do you want?” Ragnor asks heaving a breath that is much too dramatic for the circumstances.

“Remember when you said you needed help finding that Philosophy book and I said I’d help you?”

“No?”

“ _The World as Will?_ Don’t you remember?” Magnus asks, thinking quickly and thanking the heavens that he actually listened and remembered what Ragnor was saying when he was drunk rambling about philosophy.

Ragnor’s eyes light up enough that Magnus almost feels bad that he’s using the book to trick him.

Magnus walks out of the building first and winks at Cat as Ragnor walks out behind him.

He isn’t disappointed when Cat charges at them, yelling. “For Raphael!”

Ragnor makes a noise he will definitely deny he made when Magnus asks later as Cat squirts him straight in the face and Magnus laughs so hard he ends up on the ground.

When he’s got himself mostly under control he hears Ragnor’s footsteps and looks up at him innocently.

Ragnor just narrows his eyes at Magnus.

“You tricked me with books.” Ragnor says as he crosses his arms and Magnus almost starts laughing again at the looks of absolute betrayal on his face.

“I’m sorry,” he gets out, forcing himself not to laugh, “I’ll get you the book as an apology.”

Ragnor rolls his eyes and helps him to his feet. Magnus can tell that he’s fighting to keep the scowl on his face.

“I think I’m going to need more than one book in order to forgive you.”

This time Magnus rolls his eyes and sighs dramatically.

“I suppose that fair.”

Before they can do anything though, Magnus hears a yell in a surprisingly familiar voice.

“Now!”

Magnus whips his head around to see Alec and his blonde friend, Jace, running over to them from the other side of the quad.

Magnus makes to run before he realizes he’s wearing the immunity and that this attack isn’t on him.

He turns his attention to Alec to find that he’s stopped running and he’s not holding a water gun. Instead he’s watching the scene unfold, eyes dancing as he watches Jace barrel towards Cat and take her out.

As Cat and Jace yell at each other in the background Magnus moves to stand next to Alec.

“Bit dramatic don’t you think?”

Alec shrugs, eyes still on his friend and Cat who are now both on the ground in the quad laughing for some reason.

“Thought we could spice things up a bit.”

When Alec turns to look at Magnus his eyes are bright and open. Magnus could drown in them.

“You continue to surprise me,” Magnus sighs out, much more breathlessly than he had intended.

Alec leans a hairsbreadth closer, such a small movement that Magnus wouldn’t have noticed if he wasn’t completely focused on tracking Alec’s every move.

The air between them suddenly turns soft and serious in a way that hasn’t happened before.

Alec’s body language has changed. Magnus thinks he notices it too.

“In good ways I hope,” Alec says with a half smile, locking their eyes.

Magnus drops his gaze a second, the steady hazel too overwhelming to stare at for too long. He sneaks a look back up at him a moment later and smiles a soft smile when he finds Alec looking shyly back.

“The best ways,” Magnus replies and gets lost in Alec’s answering smile.

***  
“How the hell are you ever going to fit all that candy into such a small body?” Alec asks with a laugh as he watches Clary struggle to hold her 3 bags of candy from their grocery run.

“I’m not small,” Clary argues as she struggles to wrap her arm around a bag, completely disproving her point.

Alec looks at her pointedly as he takes the bag out of her hand and holds it himself. She’s going to fall over otherwise.

“I beg to differ.” He replies as he holds the bag without much effort.

Clary sticks her tongue out at him because she’s Clary, and she acts like she’s ten years old most of the time. Lydia hits his shoulder.

“Leave her alone.” She chides Alec and he rolls his eyes in response.

Lydia stops to pull her keys out of her pocket when there’s a thump and they all turn around to find Magnus, who apparently just jumped off the _roof of their building._

Alec stares in awe at the fluid movement of Magnus’ limbs as he stands from the crouch he landed in.

“What the _fuck?_ ” Alec hears Lydia exclaim before Magnus has whipped a water gun out and taken her down.

Lydia turns to stare wide eyed at Alec but he can’t tear his own eyes away from Magnus.

His hair is slightly windswept and his eyes are sparkling in mirth. His fingers are curled lazily around the water gun as he spins it in his hand with practiced ease.

Magnus must notice Alec staring because he grins at him and winks. Alec can’t stop a flush from making its way to his cheeks.

“We have _got_ to stop meeting like this,” Magnus sighs out.

The dramatic breath he lets out startles a laugh out of Alec, and it calms him enough to be able to actually concentrate on what Magnus is saying rather than being distracted by his hands.

“How about we go out for coffee or something?” Magnus practically purrs, and Alec almost falls over in his surprise. “Actually get to know each other. What do you say?”

He hears Clary snort behind him and startles. He’d forgot that Clary and Lydia were there.

When Alec looks back at Magnus he’s watching him with something that looks like amusement.

“I-um-I’d like that.”

Magnus’ grin turns blinding and if Alec wasn’t already halfway in love with him he would be now.

“Great, Friday? Noon?”

All Alec can do is nod.

Magnus smiles, tilting his head as if he’s debating what he wants to say.

“It’s a date,” he finally says. And then, with a wave over his shoulder, Magnus is gone.

Clary and Lydia are on him as soon as Magnus turns the corner.

He looks at the two of them wide eyed.

“Did that actually just happen?”

They nod and laugh but all Alec can do is stare at the spot that Magnus had just been standing.

“Oh my god.”

***  
Alec can’t concentrate on anything else for the rest of the week and almost forgets about his target for Assassins completely in favor of thinking about Magnus and their _date_. He can’t believe he’s going on a date with _Magnus Bane_. It’s made it quite hard to think of anything else.

Which is why he’s sitting in the lobby of Idris House an hour before he has to meet Magnus _hoping_ that Underhill will walk by.

He keeps his eye on the stairwell that leads down to the lobby but can’t help darting his eyes back down to his watch to check the time every few minutes.

He’s about to give up, to admit defeat, when he sees the unmistakable head of blonde hair.

In his excitement Alec hits the table he’d been sitting at as he springs up. Underhill turns to look at him and Alec curses to himself.

Underhill’s eyes widen when he sees the water gun and before Alec can even get the gun to face him Underhill is turning and sprinting out the door.

Alec gives chase and as he sprints out the door he almost runs straight into Magnus.

“Alexander! I was about to go over to the coffee place, do you want to walk-“

Alec cuts him off, breathlessly.

“Yes- just- one second.”

And with that he sprints after Underhill, missing Magnus’ fond smile as he watches him go.

Alec catches up to Underhill halfway across the street when his backpack starts weighing him down and he tries to drop it.

Alec skids to a stop and almost falls over when he finally lands a hit on Underhill.

Underhill holds his hands up in surrender and laughs breathlessly as they both stand with their hands on their knees to catch their breath.

Underhill is shaking Alec’s hand when Magnus arrives to the section of sidewalk they’re standing at.

“You don’t do anything by halves do you Alexander?” Magnus laughs.

Alec blushes when he realizes he’s probably flushed and that his hair is probably sticking to his forehead in a way that is not at all attractive.

He’s supposed to be going on a date with Magnus and he’s ruined it before it’s even started.

He looks down at himself and grimaces.

“I- you-sorry I’m a lousy date,” Alec sighs out eventually, pulling his sweaty shirt away from his body and feeling his shoulders slump in resignation.

“Nonsense, you’re a lovely date,” Magnus grins and leans into Alec’s space, “though I didn’t think I’d be getting to see you sweaty and out of breath until at _least_ the second date.”

Alec’s jaw almost drops at the words and he blushes harder than he thought was possible.

Underhill coughs loudly from behind them and Alec jumps. He’d forgotten he was there.

“That’s my cue to leave,” Underhill says with a laugh and a teasing salute.

Magnus and Alec watch him go before Magnus holds out his elbow with a blinding smile.

“Shall we?”

***  
They end up in a coffee shop that Alec has never heard of and when Alec tells Magnus as much, he starts listing dozens of drinks that Alec needs to try.

The sparkle in his eyes is so distracting that Alec can’t remember even one of the names of the drinks when he goes to order.

The barista seems to know Magnus because he looks Alec up and down before turning to Magnus with a knowing smirk.

Before the barista can say anything Magnus holds up a hand and glares.

“Don’t even think about it, Raphael.”

Raphael holds his hands up in surrender before looking at Alec again, eyebrows raised.

“Don’t pay attention to him,” Magnus says as they find a table by the window and sit down across from each other, “he tries to be intimidating but he’s really not.”

Alec laughs and shakes his head. The description reminding him slightly of Jace.

Magnus places his hands on the table, close enough to Alec that it seems like an invitation. Alec feels his heart rate pick up and he stares down at the hand for a long moment before he moves his own hand so it’s resting in front of Magnus’.

He looks up at Magnus through his eyelashes for a long second and sees Magnus staring straight back at him, a silent challenge in his eyes. And well, Alec isn’t going to back down from a challenge. It gives Alec the confidence to move his pinky to brush it across Magnus’ knuckles.

Magnus smiles a soft smile and then moves to link their pinkies. Alec’s heart soars.

At that moment Raphael shows up and places their orders on the table. He looks at their hands a second and rolls his eyes.

“Pathetic,” he mumbles and turns to go back to the counter.

Magnus glares after his retreating form and Alec lets out a laugh.

They don’t move their fingers.

The date goes as well as a first date can. Magnus tells extravagant stories about his late night (usually drunk) excursions and Alec tells Magnus about trying to keep his three crazy siblings in line.

Alec talks for a stupidly long amount of time about a philosophy class that has him questioning his own existence, and in turn ends up learning much more about the Haber Bosch process than he ever thinks he’ll need to know.

They both laugh more than Alec thought was possible in such a short amount of time.

The whole time their hands don’t move, Magnus’ pinky against his a grounding warmth.

When Magnus announces that he has a meeting he has to get to Alec is startled to find that they’ve been sitting in the coffee shop for almost two hours.

As they stand and walk out of the shop Magnus brushes his hand against Alec’s one-two-three times.

Alec looks down and then back at Magnus who raises a single eyebrow.

Alec rolls his eyes in response and links their fingers.

Magnus’ answering smile is absolutely worth it.

Magnus walks Alec back to his dorm even though his meeting is in the other direction and it shouldn’t make Alec smile as much as it does.

When they’re standing on the stairs leading to Idris House Alec feels nervous for the first time since the start of the date.

What is he supposed to do? Does he go for a hug? A handshake? He’s still holding Magnus’ hand and he just stares at their locked fingers in an attempt to figure out what the hell to do.

Magnus must sense his inner turmoil because he pulls Alec in by their intertwined hands and places his free hand on Alec’s waist.

“This is the part where I tell you I had a great time,” his gaze drops down to Alec’s lips and Alec has to suppress a shudder at the look in his eyes, “and then you kiss me.”

Magnus’ voice is rough, his eyes are wide and earnest. His hand tightens against Alec’s waist but he doesn’t move otherwise. He’s played his hand, he’s waiting for Alec to make the final move.

Alec can’t _breathe_.

Magnus is _right there_. And he’s so close. Alec wants to kiss him so bad. _Needs_ to kiss him.

He surges forward without thinking about it, moving his weight to the balls of his feet and dropping Magnus’ hand in favor of twining his arm around his neck.

When their lips are barely an inch apart Alec smiles.

“I think I can do that.”

Kissing Magnus is everything he thought it would be and everything he could never have imaged all at once.

Their lips slide together in a way that sets every single nerve in Alec’s body on fire and the world seems to fade away as Magnus pulls him closer by the waist.

The only thing he can feel is the spark of Magnus’ touch on the skin on his waist as his hand moves under his shirt, and the taste of coffee on his tongue as he sweeps it over Alec’s lips.

Alec pulls away to breathe and grins as Magnus tries to follow his lips.

He looks down at Magnus, at the flush high on his cheeks and the sparkle in his eye and can’t help but lean down and press their lips together again.

The second kiss is shorter and sweeter, Alec is smiling too much for it to really be a kiss at all.

When he pulls away he tries to contain his smile but it doesn’t work. He doesn’t really want it to work anyway. Magnus’ smile is just as wide.

They stare at each other for a long moment before Alec clears his throat and takes a small step back.

“You should probably get to that meeting.”

Magnus nods but doesn’t make any move to leave.

They move closer again and Alec can’t stop a giddy laugh from leaving his lips.

Magnus looks at him with something akin to fondness in his eyes.

He kisses Alec again, chaste and short before pulling away with what looks like a great deal of effort.

Alec understands. He doesn’t want this to end either. Doesn’t want to wake up and find out this was all a dream.

“I’ll see you later.” Magnus all but whispers before turning and leaving.

Alec watches until he disappears around the corner.

If Alec sighs dreamily and falls onto the bench by the door, fingers on his still tingling lips, no one has to know that but him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I asked one of my philosophy major friends for a book they were reading for class for Ragnor’s book so I don’t actually know what the book is about and I apologize if it’s not a good philosophy book or something lol. 
> 
> Also! The date at the end of the chapter was not planned, Malec decided to do their own thing and I had to go with it. I ended up liking it a lot! Let me know what you think!
> 
> Next chapter should hopefully be up in 2 days! 
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are appreciated :) 
> 
> Tumblr: [@lightwormsiblings](https://lightwormsiblings.tumblr.com)


	4. Week 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!!! I'm back!!! I'm so excited for you guys to read this chapter!! As always, if you have any questions about the game, don't hesitate to ask.

On the third week of Assassins, Alec is startled awake by someone shaking him.

He blinks his eyes open to find Jace hovering over him, his hair falling over his forehead and his eyes wide.

Alec stares at him for a second before turning to look at the clock and finding that it’s 7 in the morning. He groans and tries to hide his face under the pillow. It’s too damn early to deal with a Jace problem.

When Jace shakes him again Alec sighs and peeks an eye open to look at his friend.

“What?”

Alec tries not to glare as he says it but he’s pretty sure he isn’t successful.

“Magnus is my target,” Jace says and suddenly Alec is a lot more awake.

He sits up in bed and stares at Jace in shock.

“Oh my god,” Alec lets out on a breath, adrenaline pooling in his stomach. This means they might be able to get Magnus out this week. Alec could have a chance to _win_ this game. He feels a smile play on his lips as he pictures the shock on Magnus’ face if they manage to take him out.

“You’ll help me right?” Jace asks and Alec is nodding before he’s even finished his sentence.

“I’d kill you if you _didn’t_ let me help.”

***

Jace has an 8am class but Alec doesn’t have class till noon, so he takes the extra time to check his email for his target and the immunity for the day.

_Simon Lewis and a bagel necklace._

He doesn’t pay much attention to those two things though, much too distracted by the possibility of taking out Magnus.

Instead of looking for a bagel or trying to figure out how to get Simon out, Alec pulls out his laptop.

It starts out as research, it really does.

Alec goes to the school website to try and find out Magnus’ class schedule, but he somehow ends up on his Facebook page and it spirals from there.

Before Alec knows it, he’s thoroughly looked through all of Magnus’ photos from the past three years. He can’t help himself. The red streak in his hair from freshman year was _intriguing_ and the photos from Beach Week last summer were too tempting to pass up. Alec is only so strong.

Alec startles when Jace enters the room and he slams his laptop closed, trying to stop the blush he knows is going to color his cheeks, from showing.

Jace gives him an unimpressed look before setting his bag down and Alec is surprised to find its 10am when he looks at the clock.

Had he really been stalking Magnus’ social media for _that_ long? He really is pathetic.

“Dude, you have class in like 2 hours and you still haven’t gotten the immunity? I thought you were trying to _win_ this thing.”

Alec curses under his breath. _Fuck Magnus and his distracting photos_.

He gets up and grabs his bag, praying that his assassin doesn’t find him on the way to the dining hall.

“Good luck buddy,” Jace calls after him and Alec rolls his eyes.

He checks the hall warily before stepping outside and speed walks down to the lobby.

He surveys the quad for a moment to see if anyone looks like they’re holding a water gun before he steps outside and practically sprints to the dining hall.

***

Magnus looks up when he sees a familiar head of black hair and can’t stop a smile from making its way onto his lips when he sees Alec standing in the doorway of the dining hall.

His hair is a mess and he’s breathing hard, as if he’s just run all the way there.

Magnus looks over his form appreciatively and freezes when he realizes that he isn’t wearing the immunity.

Alec seems to notice him in that moment because his eyes soften and he sends Magnus a lopsided smile. Magnus watches the way the way his lips move around the smile and warmth pools in his stomach as he thinks about the way those lips had pressed against his only days earlier.

Magnus knows the moment that Alec realizes that Magnus isn’t wearing the immunity either because his hazel eyes turn sharp and lock onto Magnus’.

They both turn to look at the table where the bagels are usually stacked and Magnus’ breath leaves his lungs when he finds that there’s only one bagel left.

_Shit._

He turns his gaze back to Alec’s, sees the challenge shining in his eyes, and then they’re both running towards the table.

Magnus can’t stop the giddy laughter that leaves his chest as he skids into the table and Alec rams into him from behind.

His body is warm and solid against Magnus back. If they weren’t in the middle of a fight, Magnus would’ve leaned into the touch.

He feels Alec’s chest stutter against his back in a laugh as he goes to grab the bagel. Magnus pushes his hand away quickly and spins around to face Alec with a glare. Or well with what he tries to make glare, he’s pretty sure it actually ends up as a giddy smile.

“Not so fast, Lightwood.” He purrs, revelling in the way Alec’s cheeks turn pink at the words.

He takes the moment of distraction to reach behind himself and pick up the bagel. He smiles a triumphant smile and pushes off the table to make his leave but Alec has recovered. He twines an arm around Magnus’ waist and Magnus _may_ get slightly distracted by the way his bicep bulges as he moves his arm.

Alec uses his grip to pull them together, chest to chest. Magnus is so surprised that he drops the bagel. He watches with wide eyes as Alec uses his foot to throw the bagel up and into his hand.

“Thanks,” he whispers, so close that Magnus feels his breath against his lips. Magnus _really really_ wants to kiss him. Wants to devour the smirk that is stretched across Alec’s unfairly beautiful face. But he’s not going to give Alec the satisfaction, so instead he pulls out of his grasp sharply, pushing Alec backwards in the same moment.

Alec falls backwards and onto the ground but he’s still holding the bagel. Magnus groans and throws himself on top of him.

He hears the sharp exhale that Alec lets out when he lands on top of him and only then does he realize that he’s straddling him. He grins at the wide eyed look Alec sends him.

“Alexander,” he drawls, “I really intended the first time I straddled you to go much differently than this,” he feels his grin turn evil as Alec’s cheeks flush. He leans in closer, because he can, and because he likes the way Alec is looking at him. “But this’ll do.”

Alec sighs and his eyes flutter closed. Magnus almost gets distracted by the shadow his eyelashes cast across his cheekbones but manages to hold himself together.

He grabs the bagel but Alec’s eyes snap open and he holds onto it tightly.

Magnus glares and sits up in Alec’s lap. Not fair.

He lets out a yelp when Alec grabs his shoulders and flips them over so Magnus is under him. He cages Magnus with his body and Magnus fights against the arousal that pools in his gut. He glares up at Alec in defiance but he’s pretty sure Alec knows exactly what kind of effect he’s having on him.

Alec sends him a grin, all shining eyes and curved lips and then he leans down and presses their lips together for the smallest of moments. Magnus melts into the touch but before he can even think about returning the kiss the touch is gone and Alec is on his feet.

Magnus watches, dazed, as Alec pulls out his phone and calls someone. His eyes don’t leave Magnus’ the whole time.

“Hey! Yeah, he’s in the dining hall. He hasn’t got the immunity on.”

Magnus feels his eyes widen at the words and he scrambles into a sitting position.

Alec shuts off his phone and looks down at Magnus with shining eyes. Magnus wants to wipe the smirk off his face. Preferably by slamming him against the nearest wall and taking him apart, but it seems he has bigger problems right now.

“You should probably find another bagel because I know your assassin is on their way here as we speak,” Alec says with a wink and Magnus looks on in disbelief as Alec turns and leaves the dining hall.

“Damn you, Lightwood.” Magnus mutters under his breath as Cat appears to help him to his feet.

“You don’t look too angry.,” She tells him in the annoying knowing way that Cat always does.

“It’s not fair, he’s so attractive.” Magnus whines, looking at the spot where Alec had just been.

He ignores Cat’s laugh and pulls himself to his feet just in time to see Jace run into the dining hall.

_Well, that’s not subtle._

Jace’s eyes land on him and Magnus salutes Cat as he sprints towards the exit on the other side of the room, Jace close on his tail.

Magnus somehow manages to get his phone out of his pocket as he sprints down the stairs and presses the call button.

“Magnus?”

Magnus turns his head to see Jace too close for comfort and hurdles over a bush to try and lose him.

“Simon!” Magnus says, out of breath, “I need you to meet me in the parking lot of the Fitness Center with a bagel.”

When Simon doesn’t answer, Magnus chances a look behind him again and groans when he finds that he hadn’t lost Jace.

_Fucking athletes_

“ASAP!”

He only stays on the phone long enough to hear Simon answer in the affirmative before he ends the call and quickens his pace.

He manages to gain some distance when he runs across the street right before a bus drives by and Jace gets stuck on the other side of the sidewalk.

He skids into the parking lot of the Fitness Center and lets out a relieved breath when Simon hands him a bagel and a rope to create a makeshift necklace.

“You are a godsend, Simon.” He breathes out as he takes the two things out of Simon’s hands.

Magnus is breathing hard and placing the necklace around his neck as Jace catches up to them. He tips an imaginary hat at him and grins in triumph.

“A valiant effort.” He says and grins at the glare Jace sends him.

He’s breathing hard and his heart hasn’t slowed down at the fact that he _almost_ lost the game but at least he knows who his assassin is now. This makes avoiding him _much_ easier.

Jace lets out a resigned sigh and sits down on the curb to catch his breath.

“Damnit.”

***

Alec walks into his building and is met with the sounds of screams. He just manages to dodge Simon doing some sort of victory dance as he runs down the stairs.

When Alec looks up at where he came from he finds Clary standing at the top of the stairs dripping wet, arms crossed, and a pout on her face.

“What happened here?” Alec asks, even though he’s pretty sure he can guess.

Clary keeps her arms crossed but her pout turns into a frown as she glares at the door where Simon had let himself out of the building.

“Betrayal,” she says solemnly, “by my own best friend.”

Alec looks from Clary to the door and then back. He remembers that Simon is his target and an idea starts to form in his mind.

He turns to Clary with a smirk.

“How would you like to enact some revenge?”

***

Alec is hiding behind Donworld House with a box of cookies and his water gun the next day. He can’t help but feel like this is his best plan yet.

Clary walks out of the building with Simon in tow and Alec feels himself grin giddily against his will.

“I told them to meet us in the quad with the cookies,” Clary is saying as they walk down the steps and Alec steps out from behind the building brandishing the box of cookies in front of him.

“Delivery for Clary Fray,” he says, and shares a look with Clary as he puts the box into her hand.

Simon looks at Alec in confusion and Alec has to bite back a laugh.

“I didn’t know you worked-”

Alec cuts him off by pulling out his gun and soaking him.

Simon stares at him in shock for a second and both Alec and Clary collapse onto the ground in laughter.

Simon turns to Clary in disbelief.

“You were in on this?”

Clary stops laughing long enough to grin at Simon sweetly.

“Revenge is sweet isn’t it?”

Simons joins the two of them on the floor with a shake of his head and reaches for the box of cookies that Clary had dropped.

“This better _actually_ have cookies in it.”

***

Magnus is sitting outside the library with Raphael, trying and failing to study for an orgo test when he sees Alec coming down the street.

“No. Focus.” Raphael says, without even looking up from his laptop. Magnus hates him sometimes. He _does_ need to pass this test though, so he turns back to his textbook with a sigh.

Raphael smiles at him and Magnus sends him a glare. He hates how Raphael always makes him _actually_ study. It’s terrible.

Magnus exhibits surprising self control and gets through an entire page of the textbook without getting distracted by Alec. That is, until Alec comes up to their table.

Magnus looks up when the shadow falls over his book and doesn’t try to stop the pull of his lips at the sight of Alec wearing the immunity for the day. A glowstick.

“You look cute,” Magnus tells him, placing his pencil into his book to mark his page and turning his whole body towards Alec’s.

Alec’s answering smile is devastatingly beautiful. If Magnus wasn’t already sitting he would probably have swooned.

He sees Raphael miming gagging out of the corner of his eye but ignores him. Instead, he places his chin in his hands and looks up at Alec through his eyelashes.

“You killed my Sheldon,” he states and Alec snorts. For some reason Magnus finds even _that_ attractive. He’s so far gone it’s not even funny.

“He killed my Clary first.”

“That’s no excuse.”

“I’m playing to win Magnus,” Alec says, leaning closer and placing his hand on the table, “or have you forgotten?”

Magnus absolutely does not take a surprised intake of breath. Nope.

When he regains his breath he tilts his head and moves his hand so it touches the side of Alec’s. He watches Alec’s eyes flick down at the touch and grins.

“You’re a worthy competitor, Alexander, but don’t forget who you’re talking to,” Alec’s eyes flick back up to his face and Magnus doesn’t miss the way they linger on his lips a second longer than would be considered normal. He licks his lips with knowing eyes and watches Alec’s eyes darken. “I don’t lose.”

Alec stares at him for a long second. Just when Magnus is starting to think he might have accidentally broke him, his face breaks out into a grin and he pulls away from the table.

“I look forward to changing that.”

Magnus watches him as he leaves and only looks away when Raphael kicks him under the table with a glare.

“That is _not_ focusing.” He chides.

Magnus holds his hands up in surrender.

“Hey, he came to talk to _me_. Not my fault.”

Raphael just rolls his eyes in response.

***

Between studying for his test and his work for his other classes Magnus doesn’t have any time to actually find his target and take him out until Friday night. He knows he’s cutting it close but he’ll be damned if he loses this game by timing out of all things.

Which is why he ends up parked behind a large tree near the curb of the dorm complexes and regretting all of his life choices.

He pulls up the list he’d been keeping of all the people in the game and looks it over in order to occupy himself.

The only people left in the game are him, Alexander, Jace, and Magnus’ target, Lorenzo Rey.

Magnus smiles down at the list a second before there’s a knock on the window of his car and he jumps.

When he looks up, he finds Alec’s face framed in the window. He’s smiling a smile that Magnus has found out is one he only directs at him.

He rolls down the window and raises his eyebrows in question. Alec’s eyes sparkle back at him.

“Stalker much?” Alec asks with a teasing smile that does things to Magnus that he doesn’t know how to put into words.

Ever since Magnus had asked Alec out for coffee. Ever since they’d _kissed_ Alec has become a lot more comfortable in Magnus’ presence.

Magnus doesn't know if the newfound confidence is a blessing or a curse.

“Don’t be a smartass.” Magnus says with a glare.

Alec places a hand to his heart in mock offense. Magnus doesn’t know how to deal with him.

“Me? _Never._ ”

Magnus rolls his eyes and unlocks the car. “Get in.”

Alec’s brow furrows at the request and Magnus rolls his eyes again.

“While I always enjoy your company, I will not have you giving away my hiding spot.”

When Alec nods and walks around the car to get into the passenger seat Magnus realizes his mistake.

Having Alexander in his car, so close, is _much_ too distracting. He’s got on a green sweater that brings out the specks of gold in his eyes and his eyelashes are insanely distracting as he blinks slowly a Magnus.

He turns to smile a soft smile in Magnus’ direction. A strand of hair falls lightly over his forehead and his entire body is open and turned towards Magnus. Magnus can’t think straight when he has _that_ in front of him.

He holds his breath for one long second, eyes searching Alec’s, before he just thinks _fuck it_ and grabs Alec by the front of his sweater, yanking him towards him.

Their lips collide at a not so perfect angle but Magnus doesn’t really care because Alec makes a surprised sound under him and his breath hitches slightly in a way that sends shivers down his spine.

Alec parts his lips for Magnus and he feels the swipe of his tongue over his lips but it’s not enough. He needs to _touch_. Needs every part of Alec to be closer.

He tries to twist his body to move closer but ends up hitting the steering wheel and cursing into Alec’s mouth instead.

Alec laughs at him and Magnus glares. _Not cool._

He glares at the steering wheel for cockblocking him for a second and then maneuvers himself so that he ends up on Alec’s lap in one quick movement.

Alec stares up at him in shock for a moment before he lets out a long breath and grips Magnus’ waist with both hands.

“ _Yes,_ ” he hisses out and Magnus barely has time to feel smug before Alec’s lips are back on his. Magnus’ brain short circuits, he wasn’t prepared for the way that Alec would have to lean up to kiss him in their new position.

The long line of his neck is enticing and Magnus belatedly thinks about getting his mouth on it but the new angle of the kiss sufficiently distracts him. It lets Magnus deepen their kiss, lick into Alec’s mouth and taste him on his tongue.

He lets his hands wander, starting on Alec’s chest and migrating up to his neck and then his face to cup his cheeks. The feel of Alec’s body, strong and solid under his fingers makes him lose his breath.

When they pull apart for breath Magnus swoops down, bringing his lips to Alec’s neck. He grins against the skin when Alec lets out a whine and digs his fingers into his hips.

“Not. Fair.” Alec gets out and Magnus actually laughs at the breathlessness with which he says the words.

“Your fault for making your neck look so inviting.” Magnus murmurs into the warm skin.

Alec snorts and moves his hand up Magnus’ back, rucking up his shirt in the process. Magnus can’t hold back the shudder that wracks his body when Alec’s hand smooths over the bare skin of his back.

He can practically hear Alec’s grin as he leans down and whispers into his ear.

“Two can play this game.”

Magnus sits back slightly, moving his lips from Alec’s neck to look up at his face.

“Are you really getting competitive? Right now?” He narrows his eyes at Alec in disapproval, but he knows he’s not fooling either of them.

He’s proven right when Alec smirks, eyes going a darker shade of hazel.

“You like it.”

Magnus rolls his eyes and leans back in and bites on the sensitive skin of Alec’s neck in retaliation.

Alec’s hand flies to grip in his hair and Magnus is about to use his tongue to soothe over the bite when he sees movement out of the corner of his eye.

 _Lorenzo_.

He pulls away from Alec with a great deal of effort and grins when Alec looks up at him dazedly. _He_ did that. He’s strangely proud.

He grabs the water gun that he left on his seat and rolls down the window right as Lorenzo walks by his car.

He grins at the bright sound of Alec’s laughter as he shoots Lorenzo.

Lorenzo isn’t amused, spitting out a _fuck you, Bane_ and glaring at him.

Magnus doesn’t really care. He’s still in Alec’s lap and he’s made it to the final round of the game. He flips Lorenzo off and rolls his window back up, grinning giddily down at Alec. Alec returns his smile with sparkling eyes.

Magnus looks at the clock on his dashboard and grins as the time flips to midnight.

He leans in close to Alec, so close that their lips brush as he speaks.

“Looks like Jace timed out.”

Alec’s eyes are wide and bright staring straight back at him.

“I do believe that means you and I are the only two left in the game, Alexander.”

Alec presses their lips together more firmly and Magnus gets lost in the feeling.

When Alec pulls away he’s smirking and Magnus could stare forever.

“Game on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! I hope you enjoyed.  
> Comments and Kudos are always appreciated <3
> 
> Only one more chapter to go ahhhh!!!


	5. Week 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh guys, it’s the last chapter!!!! Can you believe it? I might be getting a bit emotional. 
> 
> This fic started out as an idea that I thought I’d never be able to pull off and now it’s somehow turned into this fic that I’m actually seriously proud of. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who read this fic and all the people who left me the most wonderful rambling screaming comments. Every single one of you are the reason that I write, and I’m just so thankful for you guys! 
> 
> Okay now that my emotional rant is over. Last week of Assassins. Lets see what goes down. 
> 
> As always, don’t hesitate to ask questions about the game. Enjoy!!!

Alec is panicking.

He doesn’t know _why_. He knew this was going to happen. This is what he wanted to happen.

Yet, for some reason, seeing the name _Magnus Bane_ in his Assassins email has somehow sent him into a panic.

He has to take out Magnus. How the hell is he supposed to manage that?

He turns once he gets to the foot of Jace’s bed and starts pacing back to his side of the room.

Jace and Clary are sitting on Alec’s bed, both watching him with amusement. Alec hates them. This is not funny.

“What do I do?” He asks, coming to a stop in front of his bed and tugging at his hair.

Clary grabs his arm and pulls him on to the bed between her and Jace.

“First of all,” she says, running a soothing hand down his arm and smiling up at him, “stop panicking.”

Alec nods but it’s easier said than done.

“Alec, you’ve gotten to the last round! You should be proud.” Jace says, eyes alight and encouraging.

Alec appreciates them both, even if they were laughing at his expense a few minutes ago.

“You’re right, I did, I got to the last round. I- oh my god, how the _hell_ did I manage to do that?”

Jace and Clary both laugh and Alec grins with them.

“You did it because you’re _good_.” Jace tells him and Clary nods along next to him.

“And now all you have to do is take Magnus down and you win!” She says, finishing Jace’s sentence.

The two of them are looking at Alec like they one hundred percent believe he can win this thing and it sends a jolt of determination through him.

He stands up with a newfound confidence and grins down at his friends.

“You’re right, I’ve gotten this far, I can beat Magnus.” He pauses and lets out a breath because even if he’s been hit with a wave of determination it doesn’t mean he suddenly has a plan, “The question is: how?”

“Easy,” Jace says with a shrug, “seduce him.”

Alec whips his head around to stare at Jace in shock.

Jace looks back at him as if his suggestion is the most obvious thing in the world. As if he’s surprised Alec didn’t think of it himself.

“What?”

  
“Seduce him to distract him, and then take him out.”

Jace says it as if it’s that simple. Alec continues to stare in shock.

“That’ll never work.” He finally gets out after a moment.

Jace leans forward and grins up at Alec.

“Have you _seen_ the way he looks at you?”

When Alec doesn’t answer Jace keeps talking.

“It’s like he’s always two seconds away from slamming you against a wall and-”

Alec feels his eyes go wide and his cheeks start to flame at Jace’s words.

“Okay, okay, I get it.”

Jace leans back on the bed smugly and Alec tries in vain to get rid of the blush on his cheeks. It’s not like his crush is a secret. He’s kissed the guy for god’s sake. He doesn’t know why he’s acting like a middle schooler.

“I’m not seducing him.”

“Do you have a better plan?” Clary asks and Alec turns to her, betrayed. He can’t believe she’s taking Jace’s side.

“I’ll figure something out.”

***  
Alec spends most of the day in his room trying to come up with some sort of plan to catch Magnus by surprise, so he doesn’t really think about the immunity until Izzy is barging into his dorm and insisting he come out to dinner with her.

He isn’t really opposed to the idea when Izzy suggests it so he’s already being pulled halfway out the door without much struggle when he realizes he’s immunityless.

“Izzy, wait!”

Izzy’s grip on his arm doesn’t loosen but she stops walking and raises her eyebrows questioningly at Alec. Alec pulls her back into the room.

“I don’t have tinsel,” he explains, and when Izzy still looks at him questioningly he elaborates, “the immunity for today.”

He expects Izzy to groan about dinner being ruined or to try and convince him to come with her anyway. He should’ve known she wouldn’t give up that easily.

She just smiles, unbothered.

“Simon has tinsel.”

Alec stares at her incredulously. Because one, how the hell does she know that? And two, why would Simon, of all people, have tinsel. He voices the second part out loud.

“I’ve learned to stop questioning Simon about things like that,” Izzy answers with a laugh and Alec wonders, not for the first time, how Izzy knows everyone at his school better than he does.

Before Alec can reply, Izzy is halfway out the door again.  
  
“Let’s go ask him to borrow some.”

“No.”

Izzy turns on her heel in the doorway and sends Alec a withering look, “Why not?”

Alec sends an equally withering look back at her.

“He lives in Downworlder House he’s going to be on Magnus’ side, he won’t help us.”

Izzy sighs and leans on the doorway with crossed arms. The classic annoyed Izzy position.

“This rivalry thing is so frustrating. Where else can we get tinsel from then?”

Alec weighs his options for a long moment. It’s the middle of March, no store is going to have tinsel and no one else is going to have it laying around. Simon is their only option.

Alec lets a slow smile make its way onto his face as a plan starts to take shape in his mind.

“We don’t need to get it from anywhere else.”

Izzy looks at Alec questioningly and he grins at her.

“We’ll sneak in and steal it,”

Izzy pushes off the doorway and squints at Alec suspiciously, “Who are you and what have you done with my brother?”

Alec rolls his eyes fondly but otherwise ignores her comment in favor of explaining his plan.

Ten minutes later, the two of them are standing in the quad outside of Downworlder House.

Alec is standing to the side of the building where he can hide behind the greenery and hope Simon doesn’t see him. Izzy stands right in front of the door, waiting for Simon to let her in.

Alec waits with bated breath as he sees Simon push the door open for Izzy.

As soon as Simon turns around Alec is moving towards the door. Izzy pushes the door open much wider than necessary, but thankfully Simon doesn’t notice.

It gives Alec enough time to grab the door and slip into the building before the door closes and locks behind Izzy and Simon.

Izzy sends Alec a conspicuous wink over her shoulder as she follows Simon to the lounge. Alec almost lets out a giddy laugh. He can’t believe he’s actually doing this.

Downworlder House is almost identically structured to Idris House so Alec doesn’t have much trouble finding the staircase. He carefully opens the door and then runs up the steps two at a time to the second floor where Izzy had said Simon’s room is.

Alec lets out a relieved breath when he finds the second floor hall empty. He didn’t really have a plan to explain why he was here if he ran into anyone.

He quickly creeps over to room 215 and pushes the door open.

The walls of the room are covered in posters for games and tv shows that Alec has never heard of and the desk is a mess but Alec manages to find the tinsel in a box by the bed.

He picks up the blue strand on the top of the box and hopes Simon doesn’t notice it’s disappearance. He wraps it over his shoulders as protection before stepping out of the room and running straight into the last person he wanted to see.

 _Magnus_.

Alec’s eyes automatically drop to his lips and then when he realizes this fact he proceeds to flush.

When he manages to tear his eyes up and away from Magnus’ lips the shine in his eyes tells Alec that Magnus noticed where he was looking.

“Alexander,” Magnus says, amusement coloring his voice. Alec absolutely does not swoon at the way Magnus’ voice curls around the syllables of his name, “what were you doing in Simon’s room?”

Alec opens his mouth to answer and then closes it when he realizes he doesn’t have anything that Magnus would actually believe.

He watches Magnus’ dark eyes flick up and down his body, before coming to rest on his shoulders. Alec is confused for a second before he notices that Magnus has the same colored tinsel wrapped around his arm.

Magnus also got his tinsel from Simon. Which means he knows _exactly_ why Alec was in Simon’s room.

“I see,” Magnus says, a knowing glint sparking in his eyes.

Alec lets himself smile back. He’s been caught, it’s not like he can lie his way out of this anymore. And maybe Magnus will be impressed he managed to sneak in here.

“Seems Simon’s the only one around who has tinsel,” Alec says, feigning nonchalance. He’s rewarded with an amused laugh and sparkling eyes.

There’s movement on the other side of the hall and Simon bursts through the door, followed by a panicked looking Izzy.

Both Alec and Magnus turn towards the sound and Izzy sends Alec an apologetic look.

Alec hears Magnus laugh next to him and takes a second to appreciate the sound before he leans in and places a kiss to his lips.

He doesn’t let himself deepen it even though he can tell Magnus wants to. He knows that if he lingers he’ll end up stuck here for ages and he can’t afford that right now.

He pulls away after a moment and Magnus looks up at him in question.

“What was that for?”

“Good luck, you’re going to need it this week. I’ve heard rumors that your assassin is pretty skilled.”

Alec grins as Magnus scoffs at him. Magnus looks like he’s about to say something but Simon cuts him off.

“Hey! That’s mine!”

He’s looking at the tinsel on Alec’s shoulders and _Alec should really run_.

He turns back to Magnus with a laugh. “And that’s my cue to leave.”

Alec grabs Izzy and leaves a grinning Magnus behind him as he flees the building, laughing the whole time.

***  
Magnus _hates_ the last round of Assassins. Purely because the immunities become so ridiculous they’re not even funny.

He’s walking out of class with a banana to his ear and cursing whoever came up with this particular immunity. He looks like an idiot and his arm is tired.

He speeds up his pace, wanting to get home before his arms becomes too tired to hold up. If he lowers it for even a second while out in the open he could get killed. He doesn’t know if Alec is hiding out somewhere watching him.

As if Magnus’ thoughts have somehow summoned his assassin, Alec appears on the street corner that he’s walking towards. He’s got a banana up to his ear as well and Magnus delights in the fact that he looks just as ridiculous as Magnus probably does.

Alec waits for him on the corner and then falls in step beside him once Magnus makes it to him.

They don’t say anything for a few minutes. Magnus takes the time to let his eyes wander over Alec’s frame.

He’s wearing a gray t-shirt and black jeans that make his legs look like they go on for ages. His hair looks like he’s been running his fingers through it and Magnus has to suppress the urge to bring his hand up and touch the black strands himself. Magnus wouldn’t put it past Alec to have done his hair like that on purpose to try and distract Magnus’ hand away from his banana.

Magnus is startled out of his admiration of Alec’s hair by Alec softly bumping their shoulders together.

When Magnus looks up and meets his eyes they’re shining with mirth.

“You know,” he starts, in a way that Magnus has come to know means that he’s planning something, “if you switched which hand your banana was in, then I could hold your hand.”

Magnus almost does it without thinking. _Almost._

He loosens his grin on his banana, sees the success in Alec’s eyes, and then freezes.

“How dare you try and trick me with hand holding.” Magnus accuses, trying and failing to look scandalized.

Alec holds up his free hand in surrender.

“Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

Alec walks Magnus to his dorm because he’s a gentleman, or maybe because he’s waiting for Magnus’ arm to get tired and lower the banana. Magnus is going to pretend it’s the first reason and not the second.

When they get to the door Alec’s eyes flick down to Magnus lips and he hovers close enough in his space to indicate that he’s debating whether to kiss Magnus or not.

Magnus makes the decision for him, stepping into his space and slotting their lips together in one smooth motion.

Part of him does it to see if it will lower the banana from Alec’s ear but the other, stronger, part of him just likes the way Alec’s lips feel against his own.

***  
When Magnus checks his email for the immunity the next day his heart sinks.

_We’re mixing things up a bit today. You are only immune to assassination attempts during even hours of the day. As soon as the clock hits an odd hour, you’re fair game for assassination._

This is not good. He’s going to have to be extra careful now.

Although the immunity caught him off guard, Magnus is an expert at this game and he doesn’t fail to realize that this is also the perfect opportunity to try and take Alec out.

He rolls over in bed and picks up his phone, adrenaline starting to pump through his veins as he puts his plan into motion.

_Since we’re safe for the even hours today, how would you like to come over and hang out at Casa Bane without the looming competitiveness of the game over our heads?_

Alec replies before Magnus can even set his phone down and he’s grinning like an idiot as the two messages arrive in quick succession.

_That’s very forward of you ;)  
I’d like that_

_How does 6pm sound?_

_Perfect <3_

Magnus does not stare at the heart for a pathetically long time. That is not a thing that he does.

***  
Magnus gets Alec’s text indicating he’s outside at exactly 6 and rolls his eyes fondly at how careful he’s being about the immunity.

He hopes he can manage to make him forget about it by 7.

When he pushes the door open Alec is standing on the steps with his hands locked behind his back. He’s grinning bashfully down at Magnus. Magnus really just wants to stop and stare at him. They have limited time though, and while this is a ploy to take Alec out, he _does_ actually want to spend some quality time with him before he has to kill him.

So instead of staring, he pulls Alec into the building by his arm and twines their fingers together as they climb the stairs up to his room.

Alec’s smile is blinding and Magnus decides then and there that he’s going to keep that smile on Alec’s face forever.

When they make it to Magnus’ room he suddenly realizes that he doesn’t actually have anything planned for them to _do_. He’d only really planned the killing Alec and winning Assassins part of this little date.

Alec walks into the room and leans against Magnus’ desk while Magnus walks to the center of the room and spins on his heel to face Alec with a flourish.

“Welcome to my humble abode.” He says, spreading his arms out wide and grinning as fondness floods Alec’s eyes.

Magnus watches in silence as Alec’s eyes scan the room. He’s thankful for the time because it gives him a chance to wrack his brain for something for the two of them to do. He supposes he could always push Alec into his bed and kiss him senseless for the next hour.

Something tells him Alec wouldn’t mind.

He’s saved from having to think of something to do when Alec moves to his dresser and picks up a bottle of dark red nail polish.

“This is pretty.” He says with a smile, turning the bottle so that the light from the window reflects off the bottle and makes the color shimmer.

“It’s one of my favorite colors.” Magnus says, looking down at his nails and grimacing slightly when he notices the purple that he has on them right now has started to chip.

Alec seems to notice because he walks over to Magnus and takes his hand in his to inspect.

Alec’s hands are calloused against his as he sweeps a finger over Magnus nails. Magnus doesn’t know why, but he holds his breath.

After a moment Alec flicks his eyes back up to Magnus’ and smiles a devastatingly soft smile, eyes full of fondness and hands gentle against Magnus’. Magnus never wants the moment to end.

“Can I do them for you?” Alec asks, nodding down at Magus’ nails and Magnus’ breath leaves his lungs entirely.

“Do you know how?” Manus asks breathlessly, trying and failing to ignore the pit of awe that has made its way into his chest.

Alec, who doesn’t seem to notice how he’s turned Magnus’ heart inside out, winks and shakes the bottle once.

“I might have done my sisters nails once or twice.” He says with that cocky grin that has only started surfacing since Assassins started up. Magnus is already hopelessly in love with that grin.

Magnus nods his consent before picking up the nail polish remover from his shelf and sitting down cross legged on the bed.

Alec watches him for a moment before he climbs onto the bed as well. He sits crossed legged in front of Magnus so that their knees brush against each other lightly. Magnus tries to wipe the silly grin off his face as he removes the nail polish from his nails, but it doesn’t work at all.

Alec uncaps the bottle, turning his attention to Magnus’ hand.

Magnus lets his smile grow into something wide and uninhibited now that Alec’s gaze has left his face.

He holds his hand out to Alec who takes it with a gentle touch and a soft smile.

When he starts, Alec’s brows furrow together and he bites his lips in concentration. His hands are steady as the brush sweeps steady strokes across Magnus’ nail. It’s unfairly endearing and Magnus doesn’t know what to do about it.

Alec peeks looks up at Magnus periodically and he has to try and school his face into something that is slightly less dreamy every time. He’s pretty sure Alec isn’t fooled.

When Alec is finished he blows softly on the nails for a few seconds before sitting back and holding up both of Magnus’ hands to admire his work.

Magnus looks down at his nails with him. He’d been too enraptured by Alec to really pay attention to how good his nail painting skills were.

He’s pleasantly surprised to find most of the nails smooth and barely any polish on the skin around them. He looks up at Alec who is looking rather proud of himself.

“Once or twice?” He questions, leaning closer, but being careful not to ruin Alec’s work.

Alec leans closer too, capping the bottle and dropping it into his lap.

Their lips brush once before Alec smiles against Magnus’ mouth. Magnus can’t do anything but smile as well.

“Okay, I might have rounded down when I said once or twice.” Alec murmurs against his lips and Magnus wonders why they’re still talking about this when they could be kissing.

Magnus presses more forcefully against Alec lips and rolls his eyes fondly when Alec laughs against them. The kiss doesn’t last very long and doesn’t get much deeper than a soft brush of lips, but it still somehow turns Magnus’ heart over happily in his chest.

When Magnus pulls back he grins at Alec before grabbing the bottle of nail polish and Alec’s left hand.

“Your turn.”

After Magnus has managed to paint Alec’s nails to match his, the two of them end up curled together on Magnus’ bed watching Friends.

Or well, more like whispering and giggling and kissing while Friends plays in the background, but same difference.

Alec has just moved his leg so that it’s resting on top of Magnus’ when Magnus notices the time.

6:55

He feels his eyes widen but doesn’t let himself have any other reaction to give away his plan to Alec.

Magnus knows his water gun is resting on the bookshelf next to his bed, he can reach it if he moves a little to the left.

He feels himself smirk. He looks down at Alec who’s pliant and happy, giggling into Magnus’ chest. Alec won’t know what hit him.

It’s two minutes later when Magnus’ plan falls apart.

Alec sits bolt upright, moving his head from where it had been resting on Magnus’ chest and staring at him, panicked.

Magnus watches as his wide eyes move to where the water gun is laying on the bookshelf.

 _Damnit_.

Magnus lunges for the gun in the same moment that Alec springs off the bed, and then they’re both standing frozen in the center of the room. Magnus with the gun in his hand and Alec next to the door, posture poised to run.

Magnus chances a glance at the clock.

6:58

 _Damnit_.

Alec points a threatening finger at Magnus but he’s laughing so Magnus isn’t all that threatened.

“You _almost_ had me.” Alec gets out on a laugh and then he turns and sprints out the door.

Magnus starts laughing then too, calling out a _Fuck you, Lightwood_ , to Alec’s retreating form and collapsing onto his bed with a roll of his eyes.

***  
Alec bolts upright in bed as soon as he reads the email with the immunity for the day.

_There is no immunity today. Good luck._

Jace turns to face Alec, head pillowed on his arm.

“What?” He asks sleepily and Alec gets up to start pacing.

“There’s no immunity today.” Alec breathes out and he sees Jace’s eyes widen.

“Stay inside all day then.” Jace replies as if it’s that easy.

“Jace, I _can’t_. I have class.” Alec protests.

“Skip.”

“No.”

Jace sits up in bed and grabs Alec’s arm to stop his pacing.

“You could always go back to the seducing plan.”

Alec whips around to glare at Jace.

“ _No_.”

Jace raises an eyebrow at Alec, unimpressed, and Alec feels his resolve starting to break.

“Jace, I _already_ seduced him,” he pauses a second and then shakes his head, “or well I was the one that got seduced, but that’s besides the point.”

Jace looks like he’s trying not to laugh and Alec glares at him.

“How do I seduce someone that I’ve already been on a date with?” Alec finally sighs out after a moment. Trying to distract Magnus by seducing him might be his only chance. He really doesn’t want to lose. And it’s not like he doesn’t _want_ to kiss Magnus.

***  
Half an hour later, Alec’s closet has somehow exploded and Clary, Lydia, and Jace are standing unimpressed in the middle of the room.

“This is harder than I thought it would be.” Jace says as he picks up Alec’s favorite shirt and throws it onto his bed with a shake of his head.

“Hey.” Alec mutters. He wishes Izzy was here. She’s always been good at dressing him.

Clary hands Alec a dark green button down and Jace tries to get his hands on Alec’s hair but he dodges him.

“Alec!” Jace chides, but Alec just glares and runs his hands through his hair himself.

“I can do my own hair, Jace.” He says with a roll of his eyes.

Jace raises his arms in surrender and Lydia hands Alec a pair of skinny jeans.

He changes into the clothes and his eyes widen when he looks at himself in the mirror.

The shirt brings out his eyes and the jeans make his legs look longer than usual. He can’t deny that he looks good.

Lydia comes up behind him and they lock eyes in the mirror. She grins softly and places a hand on Alec’s shoulder, handing him his water gun.

“Go seduce Magnus Bane and win this game for Idris House.”

***  
Alec arrives at the library, where Clary has told him she’d seen Magnus, with his heart hammering in his chest. He can’t believe he’s about to do this.

He walks into the library and doesn’t see Magnus immediately. Which makes sense, Magnus wouldn’t be sitting in plain sight when he knows there’s no immunity.

The library is relatively empty, so Alec eventually finds Magnus sitting at a desk in the back corner of the room.

He starts to walk over when he notices that Maia is sitting at a table closer to Alec and she’s seen him.

She turns and gets Magnus’ attention and alerts him of Alec’s presence. Alec groans under his breath. Of course Magnus has guards set up around him.

Magnus is standing at the desk now and looking at Alec with a challenge in his eyes. Alec watches as Magnus’ eyes go a shade darker as they look him over.

Alec gulps and tries to remember his plan. Seduction. Okay. How does he seduce Magnus? He hadn’t done anything special when Magnus kissed him before. He doesn’t know what to _do_.

Magnus is just staring back at Alec so he acts without thinking. He moves to walk towards Magnus with a purpose. Magnus stays rooted to his spot, watching Alec with unconcerned eyes.

When Alec reaches Magnus he grabs his waist, pushing him into one of the aisles between the bookcases and slamming their lips together.

_So much for seduction._

Magnus makes a surprised noise as his back hits the bookshelf and Alec swallows the sound. He vaguely registers the thought that kissing Magnus right off the bat was probably not the best course of action but his thoughts are very quickly consumed by Magnus. His lips, his hands, his broad chest, the small needy sounds he makes into Alec’s mouth.

Alec completely forgets that he’s here to kill Magnus until he feels Magnus’ hand sliding down his chest and towards his waist where he has his gun hidden.

Alec breaks the kiss abruptly and takes a step back to keep his cover.

Magnus stays leaning against the bookshelf, eyes hooded and shirt rumpled. He’s breathing hard and it’s much more attractive than it has any right to be. Alec takes a moment to revel in the fact that _he did that_ before he gets back to business.

He takes a small step closer to Magnus and purposefully looks down at his lips. He watches as they curl up in a smirk and Alec almost leans forward and just kisses him again then and there before he reminds himself why he’s here. If he kisses Magnus again he’ll completely forget his mission and it’ll all be over.

The water gun is heavy in his waistband and he takes a breath to get his focus back.

He is _not_ going to let Magnus distract him.

“Alexander...” Magnus murmurs and suddenly they’re closer than Alec thought was possible for two people to be.

He can feel Magnus’ breath on his cheek and he can’t tear his eyes away from Magnus’.

Magnus seems equally as mesmerized by him and this would be the perfect opportunity to pull out the gun and take Magnus out. Except for the small problem that Alec can’t look away no matter how hard he tries.

Magnus’ eyes are dark and warm and inviting and Alec would gladly drown in them. Magnus places a soft hand on his neck and Alec relaxes into the touch. The warmth traveling down his body straight to his toes. He’s so lost in thought and in the feel of Magnus’ touch that he doesn’t notice the flash of mischief in Magnus’ eyes or his hand quickly moving to Alec waist.

Suddenly Magnus isn’t touching him anymore. He’s standing a foot away, the water gun that had been in Alec’s waistband now securely in his hand.

 _Shit_.

Magnus shakes his head slowly, lips quirked into an evil smirk.

“When I imagined winning this year, I never would’ve thought I’d be trying to take out the guy I was dating,” Magnus licks his lips and turns the gun to point at Alec, “and I most _certainly_ didn’t think that said guy would be trying to distract me by kissing me.”

Alec just stares at Magnus, his brain had short circuited somewhere at the beginning of the sentence when Magnus referenced Alec as _the guy he was dating._

He doesn’t know why the phrase is so mind blowing. They went out on a date, maybe two if the hour in Magnus’ room counts. Of course they’re dating. Alec _knows_ that. But hearing it said out loud by Magnus is a whole other level.

“We’re dating?” Alec blurts out before he can stop himself. He can tell it’s not what Magnus had expected Alec to say because his arm lowers a little bit where he’s pointing the gun at him.

Magnus looks at him consideringly for a moment. He seems to have forgotten that he’s supposed to be shooting Alec.

“Well, to be honest, I’d rather we were boyfriends but I haven’t quite gotten around to popping that question yet.” Magnus says softly.

Alec feels his eyes going wide at the words and if he isn’t mistaken it seems that Magnus is actually blushing. _Magnus Bane is blushing because of him._ Alec doesn’t know what to do with himself.

He takes a tentative step towards Magnus, and when he doesn’t move to shoot, Alec lets himself smile giddily.

“Yes, I’d like that, to be your boyfriend, I mean.” He says with a decisive nod. Magnus’ answering smile is brighter than every star in the galaxy. Alec would probably have stood and stared at it for hours if he didn’t still have a gun pointed at him.

Since he _does_ have a gun pointed at him, he makes a face at Magnus, and spins on his heel, sprinting out of the aisle.

He hears Magnus’ bright laugh behind him and then fast footfalls that indicate that Magnus has given chase.

Alec makes it out of the library and down the street, laughing hysterically as he goes, when he feels something damp hit his shoulder.

He slides to a stop and turns just in time for Magnus to skid straight into his chest.

Magnus’ eyes are wide and full of mirth as he steadies himself with hands against Alec’s chest.

“I win.” He whispers into the space between them.

Magnus is breathing hard and his hair is a mess from the wind. Alec can’t find it in himself to be mad that he’s just lost. He’s most definitely won something _much_ better.

He dips his head down to capture Magnus’ lips in a soft kiss, grinning as Magnus responds enthusiastically.

Magnus drops the gun onto the pavement and wraps both arms around Alec’s neck, deepening the kiss as he does so.

When they pull apart Alec presses his forehead to Magnus’ and grins.

“Hmm I’m pretty sure I win, _boyfriend_.” Alec murmurs, a giddy feeling curling its way up his spine.

Magnus rolls his eyes and pulls Alec down for another kiss.

Alec is so glad he signed up for Assassins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it. It’s over (am I crying? Totally, but we’re going to pretend I’m not).
> 
> Comments and Kudos are appreciated!! 
> 
> Tumblr: [@lightwormsiblings](https://lightwormsiblings.tumblr.com)


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